Chapter 33 – Recreated as a New Person

In Solis 460, Gatesdei, the 4th of Unya:

Dear Diary,

It's nice to be able to relax, even if it's for just a little. Tai Ho has confirmed that the north bank of the Lana is clear, meaning that the Highland Third Army's retreat is real. That makes two victories in a row against them. We may not be any closer to driving Highland from Jowston, but at least the mood is better. Moreover, Riou and Shu returned last night with the news that Two River City will support us with their troops. Supposedly, the great General Ridley will be leading his Kobold Corps personally.

And in better news, I finally have a room of my own. The finishing touches were put on last night, so that was my last night sleeping in the tavern. There's not a lot of furniture, just a bed and a table. I'll need to talk to someone about making a bookcase for my diaries. Then I'll think about what other books I want; everything but my journals went up with the fort in East Muse.

There was a not very polite pounding on the door to his room, and Flik ripped an uneven tear across the page he was working on.

"Yo!" Viktor shouted, voice muffled by the door. "Strategist's called a debriefing for right about now. You don't want to make him angry, do you?"

Flik closed up his book. "I suppose I don't." He threw on his blue cape and joined Viktor out in the corridor. Their rooms were adjacent to each other, on the second floor of the west wing of the castle. Even though the work of fixing up the walls and floor was done, the area was still crowded with workers lugging in pieces of furniture. Furthermore, work was going on one floor down, expanding that part the castle into the New State Army's barracks. Flik judged that it was going to be difficult to get uninterrupted sleep for a while.

The hallway leading to the great hall was also crowded with workmen. Viktor and Flik had to duck and weave to make their way forward. A group of children were doing likewise, running down the passage towards the two warriors. The last child in the group stuck out a hand, slapped Viktor on the thigh, and shouted, "Tag! You're it!" He quickly disappeared after his fellows.

Viktor contemplated his thigh for a moment, straightened out, and whacked Flik on the shoulder. "Tag! No tag-backs!" He turned and jogged for the far exit.

Flik grimaced and rubbed his shoulder, puzzling over his next move. Finally, he tapped the workman next to him on the arm and declared, "You're it!" The man, who was carrying a desk with both arms, looked quizzically at Flik, trying to gauge what was going on. The other workers, picking up on the game, started clearing the hall. Flik also departed, turned right, and walked past the Journeyman Crystal into the great hall.

He was the last to arrive, though not a lot of people had been called for this meeting. Shu and Apple stood at the foot of the dais, while Riou, Nanami, Eilie, and Pilika were gathered off to the side. Viktor was lounging on the steps of the dais, catching his breath, and observing the children.

Flik caught Riou's attention and said, "Good work in Two River City. I'm glad to see you looking better."

Nanami's smile wavered for just a moment, but she sounded confident when she replied, "Of course, nothing's going to happen to my brother while I'm around."

Eilie's concern was more apparent. "Yes, as long as Riou is okay, everything is fine."

Pilika almost jumped into an embrace with Riou, drawing chuckles from Viktor. "Look at that, Flik. Everybody's worried about Riou. Even I was worried." Riou began to blush and tried to struggle out of Pilika's hold, making Viktor laugh even more. "Don't be so uptight, it's great being popular. You'll understand when you're older."

Shu smiled patiently, clearing his throat to get everybody to look at him. "Allow me to offer congratulations as well. Your efforts to bring the citizens of Two River together to fight were what made it possible for the city to hold out long enough for our aid to arrive. This whole operation has been a resounding success, which we must build off of. The Highland Army has now played out all of their offensive moves and will need to re-supply before they take any further initiatives. Therefore, we now have a moment of breathing space."

He paused and put his hands behind his back. "Unfortunately, we are nowhere near strong enough to take the offensive ourselves. Instead, I believe Riou should tour Two River province, just as he did in South Window, looking for people who want to join the army. For the moment we should focus only on Lakewest and Kobold Village. The people coming from Two River City will be organized by General Ridley."

Riou seemed to think for a moment. "It would be nice to see more places. Everything in Two River was such a rush."

"Five or six days should suffice," Shu added. "I don't believe you should go as far as Tigermouth just yet."

Nanami jumped to her brother's side. "I'm going, of course. I want to see more of the kobolds. They're just so cute!"

Eilie shook her head. "I need to catch up with my sister and brother. Riou will be safe if it's just for a couple of days."

"Take Viktor and Flik, too," Shu suggested. "You might also bring Gengen to help with the kobolds."

"Wait!" Flik interrupted. "You want us to go with Riou? Didn't you lecture us on how we should be available in case of a crisis?"

With only the faintest hint of a smirk, Shu answered, "I do not foresee any crisis occurring in the next few days. Think of this as me ordering you two to go out on a little adventure. I've learned that you seem to need them every now and then. If you still feel upset, then take the time to study the land. I've already heard Kinnison's reports about how inaccurate the maps were." He looked around the room. "Well, if there aren't any further concerns, I believe we are done here."

However, Flik could hear him speaking a few more words to Apple as the two strategists walked from the room. "I need you to coordinate with Leona and Barbara as to feeding and sheltering the people from Two River City. I've still got to work out the final details with Hans about getting weapons and armor from his dealers in Zexen and Tinto."

Riou beckoned Viktor and Flik over. "Let's figure out what we'll need for the next few days. After that, we'll find Amada and get him to take us over to Lakewest."

Flik tried to keep from sighing. There went any relaxing he was hoping to do.

Later that afternoon they were back on Lake Dunan, slowly sailing northwest in Amada's ship into a headwind, in the direction of Lakewest. There really hadn't been too much that needed to be planned for this trip. One of Viktor's squads would provide general security, and Gengen had agreed to come without a single complaint. Flik breathed in the salty air, working the tension out of his body. He tried to shake all the nagging concerns out of his system, telling himself that this was going to be an uneventful assignment.

He closed his eyes, listening to the sounds around him. Gengen was regaling the deckhands with stories of his swimming ability, including one time where he'd held his breath underwater for nearly fifteen minutes. There was something in the tone of his voice that suggested to Flik that it wasn't an exaggeration. Nanami squealed in delight and ran across the deck, shouting about flying fish. Viktor began to tell a story about how a whole boatload of flying fish had ended up on the deck of a ship he'd been sailing on near Kanakan, but was interrupted by the lookout shouting down from his perch.

"Wingers, approaching from dead ahead! Look to the sky!"

Flik snapped his eyes back open, getting up onto his feet. Everyone had gone quiet, looking up into the cloudy sky. He spotted them after a moment. About one hundred feet off the water was a flock of several hundred, flying in their general direction. It was more of them than he'd ever seen in one gathering, having only run into a bare handful in his travels.

One of the crewmembers scowled and commented, "I hope they aren't going to Dunan Castle. Wingers are nothing but trouble, thieves and cheats all of them, and by all the True Runes, they stink like nothing you ever smelled before."

"Stop that!" Riou shouted with surprising vehemence, his voice stopping the man's tirade like a physical blow. "Those Winghordes are our new allies. They saved us at Two River City, and now they've come to fight for the State. We will welcome them as they deserve."

The deckhand, who was taller than Riou by a full head and certainly outweighed him two to one, backed away, cowed. Nanami stared at her brother with a slightly worried expression on her face, as if seeing something in him that she hadn't before. Viktor was smiling, almost on the verge of laughing, but he nodded his head respectfully when Riou looked his way. Flik regarded Riou, noticing a change in his demeanor. The meek, self-effacing exterior was slowly cracking away. Little by little, Riou was being recreated as a new person.

Flik wondered if Riou was even conscious of the change.

"Riou! Hey, Riou!" One of the Winghordes was circling around the boat, descending lower and lower. The first thing Flik was aware of was the smell, just like the deckhand had said. The Winghorde stank of rotten fish. Taking a few steps away from the railing, Flik saw that the winger was a slender boy, wearing a sleeveless white undershirt and tan shorts. His brown hair was a thorough mess, possibly from the wind.

Riou grinned happily, his face suddenly boyish again. He seemed to show no discomfort from the smell. "Chaco!" he called. "You came!"

Chaco's talons gripped the railing of the ship easily, and he settled there, pulling his black, bat-wings against his back. Those wings were smeared with some sort of oil mixture, which gave off the stench. "Naturally. I saw how you pulled everybody together to stop the Highlanders. There's no way I'm going to miss the chance to help you. Besides, I've still got to make up for all the trouble I caused."

Riou and Nanami walked over to the railing, while Flik remained several paces away, watching. "That's right," Nanami said testily. "It took you long enough to see that we were trying to help you. I bet you enjoyed making life difficult for us!"

Chaco edged down the railing away from Nanami, much as a bird would. "It's not my fault that I didn't trust you! All you humans ever did was treat us like dirt."

Riou laughed good-naturedly. "Sis, I'm not mad at him, so you shouldn't be either." Then he looked seriously up at Chaco. "What happened in the past should remain in the past. That's the only way the power of those hurtful things can be destroyed. I promise that I'll help build a different relationship for the future."

"Grandma said we had to do our part, too," Chaco replied. "So we're going to help you out."

"Chaco," a new voice broke in, deep and rasping. "Where's my toy gotten off to this time?"

Chaco yelped, went airborne momentarily, and landed a bit further down the railing. Another winger came down right on the spot Chaco had previously occupied. He was very different looking than Chaco, older, taller, and heavier, though still thinner than Flik. He was wearing ripped black pants and a purple shirt. His brown hair hung straight down, all around his head, except where he'd pushed it to one side of his nose, revealing one eye and an unsettling grin.

"I didn't say you could go off on your own," the newcomer admonished in a mocking tone.

Chaco seemed very disturbed by the new winger. "I-I don't need your permission. You should've stayed in the sewers, Sid."

"Chaco," Sid responded, drawing the name out. "Don't you remember? You do need my permission." He edged along the railing closer to Chaco. Chaco hopped nervously away. "The sewers were getting boring," Sid continued. "Who are your new friends? Introduce us," he ordered, looking from person to person.

Nanami shrieked when his gaze turned to her, and ducked behind her brother. This drew a cruel chuckle from Sid. Flik advanced, his hands moving towards his sword, but stopped when the winger shifted to look at him. There was something about this winger's presence that caused Flik to pause. Chaco took the opportunity to flap into the air and land on the ship's cabin.

Sid studied Flik, bobbing and cocking his head like a pigeon. Apparently satisfied, he smirked and said, "Seems like there's going to be excitement at this Dunan Castle. I like that, it sounds fun. And Chaco will be there too, in case I ever get bored." He grinned at the younger winger.

Chaco was immediately in the air again, flapping to gain altitude. "I'll tell Grandma about you!" he shouted. "Wait and see, she'll fix you good."

Sid started up after him. "Chaco, you want to sit around with the elders all day? You'll bore yourself to death."

"Better than what you'll do to me," Chaco shouted back, rapidly climbing up towards the others.

"Chaco, you'll never get a girl if you don't come out. You'll die all alone, with nobody except me to be there for you." He started giggling maliciously. Chaco's answering wail was clearly audible.

When the two of them had rejoined the other wingers, Viktor quietly commented, "Don't want to let that freak near the kids."

"Don't want to let that freak near anybody," Flik responded.

Nanami pulled herself up from behind Riou. "I wasn't afraid," she exclaimed. "I was just being…prudent."

Flik looked back up at the Winghordes. He'd felt a moment's hesitation, but he certainly wasn't going to tell anyone about that, ever. He didn't want to give Sid any reason to notice him again.

The sun was low in the west as the ship approached the wooden piers of Lakewest. The reflection off the water made Flik squint as he tried to take in the town for the first time. It was smaller than he'd figured, given that it was the only good harbor in Two River province. There were a few small storehouses along the northern part of the beach, but nothing rivaling the works in either Coronet or Kuskus. Obviously, large ships were wary of the treacherous shoals and shallow water depth along the western part of the lake.

Amada's crew sailed the ship to one of the piers with practiced ease. Even though the port wasn't big, there was plenty of produce waiting to be transported. Barrels and baskets were stacked along the wooden quays. Dock workers were loading them onto waiting ships.

As soon as the ship was secure, Viktor and a couple of his men jumped off to check the pier. Riou and Nanami stepped off more sedately, followed by Gengen. Flik came next, looking around, trying to get a feel for the place. The remainder of Viktor's men began lugging supplies off.

With the shadows creeping up, Flik expected little fanfare upon their arrival, but one of the workers on the next pier over looked up and shouted, "Hey! That's the boy with Genkaku's rune. It's Riou."

In an instant all of the loading and unloading had come to a halt. Workers, dock bosses, sailors, and ship officers alike came running in to gather around Riou, babbling excitedly as they did.

"He was there at Two River City, personally led a charge right at the Highlanders."

"They say the rune on his right hand can bring back the dead."

"Lord Riou, Lord Riou, why are you here?"

Riou had taken the moment to climb up onto one of the barrels, and faced the crowd calmly. After a moment, he spoke in a strong voice. "The Highland Army has been driven from Two River, but the threat remains. We must take back those lands that have fallen to them. We must rebuild our nation from its ruins, strong and whole. Any of you who have strength to offer, I beg of you, join us at Dunan Castle."

The crowd responded by cheering and clapping, giving way when Riou jumped down from his perch and started walking towards the town. They swarmed all around their hero, thwarting even the best efforts by Viktor and his men to set up a cordon. Flik began to warily search the excited faces, trying to keep an eye on any potential threats.

A wealthy merchant offered Riou the use of his home to stay the night, but Riou politely declined the offer, saying he would sleep at the inn. As the throng crossed out of the docks and onto the narrow, muddy streets, more people spilled out of the houses along the way. Nanami grabbed Riou's arm by the elbow in order to stay by her brother's side. Flik fought his way forward, trying not to lose sight of Riou in the press.

The innkeeper was first appalled and then delighted to see the crowd approaching his establishment. Ushering Riou inside, he tried to get him to take the best table in the house, ordering the bouncers to clear out the party already there. Again, Riou refused the honor, taking a seat in the common room. In the end, this seemed to suit the innkeeper, and his barmaids spent the evening passing out drinks to everyone who came to look upon the hero.

Now that Riou wasn't walking anywhere, Viktor and Flik had an easier time controlling the crowd. All through the evening people approached in groups to offer service. Flik figured that most of the people in Lakewest must've turned out for this. His rough estimate was somewhere up in the two thousands. At one point Nanami tried to hand her brother a plate of food, but he ignored it, continuing to greet and say a few words with the people before him.

Eventually, many hours later, the line of visitors subsided and the inn began to grow less crowded. Nanami pointed meaningfully to the food that was now cold. Riou nodded and picked up his fork to eat. Before he could, one more person sauntered forward.

He was about as far from a dignitary as it was possible to be, dressed in a white undershirt and baggy purple pants. His blond hair was slicked up in the front, and his whole face was long and sharp. He had a long cigarette pipe in his mouth. His eyes darted to take in Viktor, Flik, and the others around Riou in one quick motion, appraising them all.

Viktor stood up, putting out a hand to bar the way. "I think Riou's pretty tired. Why don't you come back in the morning?"

"Let him through," Riou commanded softly. "He's waited all this time to speak with me."

The man sat down cross legged and looked at Riou without speaking. Flik took the moment to study him. He appeared to be an ordinary drifter, but his muscle tone was more developed than the average lay-about. Was that pipe hollow, like a blow gun? Flik was just about to shout a warning when the stranger took the pipe out of his mouth and said, "You look pretty damn scrawny to be a hero. How'd you ever manage to beat anyone?"

"Watch what you say around Lord Riou!" Viktor threatened.

Riou continued to smile, his manner modest. "Maybe I have luck on my side, that's all."

The stranger barked out a laugh. "Luck, you say? It's good that you acknowledge that she exists. Most damn fools go around thinking that they can control things by their own power. They don't see that she's been at their side all along, calling all the shots. That's why they never see the fall that she's setting them up for, fickle lady that she is. So, does she favor you still?"

Riou shrugged. "I haven't lost yet."

Smiling, the stranger said, "Maybe you'd like to test that luck? Do you know chinchirorin?" He pulled out a mat, a small bowl, and three dice. "It's the perfect game of chance. There's no reading your opponent's face and no moving pieces around a game board. It's just you and the dice. What do you say, boy, up to the challenge?"

Flik glanced at the game cursorily. Something else was tugging at his attention, a sound he was hearing. He stood up, drawing a sharp glance from the stranger, and started to wander aimlessly across the common room, trying to attune his ears to the sound. No, not a sound…a voice. He was hearing a voice that he recognized.

"What's up?" Viktor said, breaking Flik's concentration. "Is there some kind of threat?"

Flik shook his head, mostly to try and pick up the voice again. "Nothing's wrong. I just think I hear someone I know."

"You think?" They glanced around the room, which was crowded enough to make picking out people along the far wall difficult.

From behind, Nanami burst out in a victory whoop. Flik could hear the stranger's chuckle. "Looks like the lady is still with you, kid. I think I'll be joining your cause. The name's Shilo. I do a little bit of everything, and I've learned to read luck like you would read a book. Besides, there'll be enough saps at your place that I ought to make a killing."

Flik moved away, slowly working his way across the room. He picked up the voice again, a young man's voice, slightly unsure of himself. "I'm not certain this test is even for real. Don't you think we should consider returning home? It's been almost two years, your father's probably worried about you."

That elicited a fiery response, from a young woman. "Go home? What kind of man are you? If you want them to acknowledge you as a true warrior, then you'll have to go through with the test." Flik's steps became faster, more sure. He recognized the girl's voice too, and the subject matter piqued his interest. He stepped around an overturned chair, hearing the young man's response.

"Tengaar, we need to think this through. A true warrior doesn't go running off after danger blindly."

That was all the confirmation that Flik needed, even if he couldn't quite see the two youths because a gaggle of merchants from Tinto blocked the way. He looked right and left for a way around, then Viktor simply waded into them, scattering them like geese.

Tengaar's answer was clearly audible. "Stop worrying so much. You're a warrior trained in Warrior's Village. You mustn't let fear command you."

Someone slipped, and merchants and Viktor alike ended up spilling into a pile on the floor, finally giving Flik a clear view of the two from Warrior's Village. They were seated at a table by a window, so that all he could see was Tengaar's back and the top of Hix's head. Tengaar's long, red hair was set in a long braid that trailed down her back and past her hips. Hix's hair was slate gray.

He answered Tengaar by saying, "I'm not afraid for me, but for you."

Flik jumped over the pile of men on the floor and started walking towards the two of them, thinking of some appropriate way to greet them.

"But I have you to protect me," Tengaar answered. "As long as you're there, what do I have to fear?"

Flik could almost feel Hix blushing. "I-yeah, but…well,"

He was almost at the table when Tengaar suddenly slammed her chair towards him. He grunted as it impacted on his legs and stomach. "That'll teach you to sneak up on a lady," she shouted, followed by, "Take this, pervert!" She pivoted on one foot, swinging around to face him. Flik had only a moment to see the light flashing off of two long knives in her hands, one aimed for his neck, and the other driving towards his thigh.

The next few seconds were going to be messy, Flik feared.